THE ROYAL BALLET Approximate timings DIRECTOR KEVIN O’HARE FOUNDER DAME NINETTE DE VALOIS OM CH DBE Live cinema relay begins at 7.15pm; ballet begins at 7.30pm FOUNDER CHOREOGRAPHER Act I 55 minutes SIR FREDERICK ASHTON OM CH CBE FOUNDER MUSIC DIRECTOR CONSTANT LAMBERT Interval 30 minutes PRIMA BALLERINA ASSOLUTA Act II 55 minutes DAME MARGOT FONTEYN DBE The performance will end at approximately 9.50pm Tweet your thoughts about tonight’s performance before it starts, during the intervals or afterwards with #ROHnutcracker THE NUTCRACKER DIGITAL PROGRAMME BALLET IN TWO ACTS Royal Opera House Digital Programmes bring together a range of CHOREOGRAPHY PETER WRIGHT AFTER LEV IVANOV specially selected films, articles, pictures and features to bring you closer MUSIC PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY to the production. Use promo code ‘FREENUT’ to claim yours for free. ORIGINAL SCENARIO MARIUS PETIPA AFTER E.T.A. HOFFMANN’S NUSSKNACKER UND MAUSEKÖNIG Visit roh.org.uk/publications to find out more. PRODUCTION AND SCENARIO PETER WRIGHT DESIGNER JULIA TREVELYAN OMAN 2016/17 LIVE CINEMA SEASON LIGHTING DESIGNER MARK HENDERSON PRODUCTION CONSULTANT ROLAND JOHN WILEY IL TROVATORE TUESDAY 31 JANUARY 2017 STAGING CHRISTOPHER CARR BALLET MISTRESS SAMANTHA RAINE BALLET MASTER JONATHAN HOWELLS WOOLF WORKS WEDNESDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2017 ASSISTANT BALLET MISTRESS SIAN MURPHY THE SLEEPING BEAUTY TUESDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2017 PRINCIPAL COACHING ALEXANDER AGADZHANOV, DARCEY BUSSELL, THURSDAY 30 MARCH 2017 MADAMA BUTTERFLY CHRISTOPHER CARR, RICARDO CERVERA, LESLEY COLLIER, JONATHAN COPE, JEWELS TUESDAY 11 APRIL 2017 VIVIANA DURANTE, JONATHAN HOWELLS, CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS THE DREAM/SYMPHONIC VARIATIONS/ BENESH NOTATORS MAYUMI HOTTA, LORRAINE GREGORY MARGUERITE AND ARMAND WEDNESDAY 7 JUNE 2017 OTELLO WEDNESDAY 28 JUNE 2017 CONDUCTOR BORIS GRUZIN ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE CONCERT MASTER PETER MANNING POINTE SHOES APPEAL Each year The Royal Ballet dances through more than 6,000 pairs of DIRECTED FOR THE SCREEN BY ROSS MACGIBBON pointe shoes. You can help support their extraordinary work at roh.org.uk/pointe LIVE FROM THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE THURSDAY 8 DECEMBER 2016, 7.15PM For more information about the Royal Opera House and to explore our work further, visit roh.org.uk/cinema Synopsis Cast Drosselmeyer, a timeless magician and creator of mechanical toys and clocks, was once HERR DROSSELMEYER GARY AVIS employed in a royal palace where he invented a trap that killed off half the mouse population. CLARA FRANCESCA HAYWARD In revenge the wicked Queen of the Mice cast a spell over Drosselmeyer’s nephew, Hans-Peter, HANS-PETER/THE NUTCRACKER ALEXANDER CAMPBELL which transformed him into an ugly Nutcracker Doll. The only way to break the spell was for THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY LAUREN CUTHBERTSON the Nutcracker to slay the Mouse King, thereby committing an act of great bravery, and for THE PRINCE FEDERICO BONELLI a young girl to love and care for him in spite of his awful appearance. ACT I When Drosselmeyer is invited to entertain the guests at a Christmas party that his DROSSELMEYER’S ASSISTANT LUCA ACRI friends, the Stahlbaums, are giving, he decides that this could well be the opportunity he DR STAHLBAUM CHRISTOPHER SAUNDERS has been looking for. MRS STAHLBAUM ELIZABETH MCGORIAN Their daughter, Clara, is a little younger than Hans-Peter imprisoned in the Nutcracker, FRITZ CASPAR LENCH and what better time than Christmas, when the mice are busy stealing the leftovers, for CLARA’S PARTNER TRISTAN DYER a confrontation between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker? He decides to put the Nutcracker in the tender care of Clara and makes a special Christmas Angel to guide her GRANDMOTHER KRISTEN MCNALLY through her task. GRANDFATHER ALASTAIR MARRIOTT When all the guests have departed and the house is asleep, Clara, in search of the DANCING MISTRESS CHRISTINA ARESTIS Nutcracker, creeps downstairs and discovers Drosselmeyer waiting for her. He draws her CAPTAIN JOHANNES STEPANEK into his own special world of fantasy where time is suspended, and exerts all his powers HARLEQUIN FERNANDO MONTAÑO to transform the living room into a great battlefield and summons the Mouse King. In the COLUMBINE LETICIA STOCK SOLDIER MARCELINO SAMBÉ ensuing fight between the mice and the toy soldiers the Nutcracker slays the Mouse King, VIVANDIÈRE MAYARA MAGRI but only through the intervention of Clara, who, out of compassion, saves the Nutcracker’s ST NICHOLAS LUKAS BJØRNEBOE BRÆNDSRØD life. Transformed into his real self, he dances with Clara and they find themselves in the Land MOUSE KING NICOL EDMONDS of Snow. Drosselmeyer then sends them on a magic journey to the Sugar Garden in SNOWFLAKES the Kingdom of Sweets where they meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince. ARTISTS OF THE ROYAL BALLET Freed at last from his imprisonment inside the Nutcracker, Hans-Peter recounts to SINGERS LONDON ORATORY JUNIOR CHOIR DIRECTOR, CHARLES COLE the Sugar Plum Fairy his great adventure and how Clara saved his life. They then join in a magnificent entertainment put on by Drosselmeyer to honour them for their bravery. ACT II Returning to reality, Clara runs out into the street in search of Drosselmeyer and SPANISH DANCE CHRISTINA ARESTIS, JOHANNES STEPANEK, TARA-BRIGITTE BHAVNANI, ERIC UNDERWOOD, encounters a strangely familiar young man, while back in his workshop Drosselmeyer prays TIERNEY HEAP, FERNANDO MONTAÑO that his efforts will be rewarded. His nephew returns; the spell has indeed been broken. ARABIAN DANCE ITZIAR MENDIZABAL, RYOICHI HIRANO, REECE CLARKE, NICOL EDMONDS Peter Wright CHINESE DANCE LUCA ACRI, MARCELINO SAMBÉ RUSSIAN DANCE TRISTAN DYER, PAUL KAY DANCE OF THE MIRLITONS MEAGHAN GRACE HINKIS, MAYARA MAGRI, EMMA MAGUIRE, LETICIA STOCK ROSE FAIRY YUHUI CHOE HER ESCORTS MATTHEW BALL, JAMES HAY, TOMAS MOCK, VALENTINO ZUCCHETTI LEADING FLOWERS CLAIRE CALVERT, HELEN CRAWFORD, REFER TO YOUR DIGITAL PROGRAMME TO VIEW HIKARU KOBAYASHI, BEATRIZ STIX-BRUNELL THE FULL CAST AND LATEST INFORMATION. ARTISTS OF THE ROYAL BALLET DETAILS OF THE LIVE PERFORMANCE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. STUDENTS OF THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL.